Chapter 72: Santa Claus Who Is Afraid of Pain

"Special Alert: Explosion attack imminent, durability consuming—Protective Cross (0/9)"

"Special Alert: Item failed, remaining uses cannot negate damage judgment."

"Special Alert: Triggering Shatter special judgment—5% chance to eliminate this damage judgment."

"Special Alert: Judging. Judgment passed, eliminating this damage judgment."

"Item destroyed."

Ma Ma Zhaodi had no time to rejoice in his good fortune; he was already locked in close combat with the Joker.

How is the Joker's close-quarters grappling ability?

This is a question with many differing opinions; since the Joker has produced so, so many works, his versions are also so, so many. The consensus everyone has reached is—this is not his greatest highlight, but it is absolutely not one of his fatal weaknesses either.

In some versions, the Joker's fighting skills can even slightly surpass Batman's.

Ma Ma Zhaodi could confirm that any person standing between 1.8 and 1.9 meters tall would definitely hold a certain advantage in hand-to-hand combat, and if fighting unarmed against an armed opponent, he would definitely hold an absolute advantage.

Through system analysis, Ma Ma Zhaodi determined that the Joker before him was a grandmaster level in close-quarters combat, which shocked him greatly; he never expected the opponent's close-quarters combat ability to be so terrifying.

Fortunately, the Joker was currently facing a time-limited mission, and Ma Ma Zhaodi happened to be a tanky enough shield role.

"Why! Why no fireworks!"

Laughing maniacally, the Joker waved the dagger and crowbar in his hands, emitting a shrill voice: "Hahaha, I get it, you're the Grinch, you hate Christmas the most! Tonight's surprises are all ruined by you! Come, let me see if you bleed!"

"Rip—Clang!"

The sharp dagger cut and stabbed into the red padded jacket, tearing out bloody gashes. This padded jacket was a system item Ma Ma Zhaodi had specifically bought; it could stop bullets, but its cut resistance was slightly inferior. Mainly, he hadn't expected that the Joker's oversized revolver would possess the ability to penetrate the padded jacket and kill in one shot, causing this jacket to fail to perform its bulletproof effect in a gunfight as anticipated.

That crowbar was even more heavyweight, specifically targeting Ma Ma Zhaodi's joints for striking. Even through the thick padded jacket, the struck areas still sent waves of intense pain; his leg and wrist power generation was severely suppressed, making it impossible to launch a powerful counterattack or a quick dodge.

Intense, excruciating pain came from all over his body. Ma Ma Zhaodi, who had never participated in such a fight in his life, experienced for the first time the agony brought by cold-weapon grappling. He retreated step by step, while the Joker, laughing maniacally, pressed forward relentlessly, carving out flowers of blood on his body with the crowbar and dagger in his hands.

"Hahaha! The Grinch is a bad child, but luckily this bad child is easy to teach! Quick! Let me see what other fun Christmas gifts you have, hehehe!"

Ma Ma Zhaodi did not answer, only tightly holding the fruit candy in his mouth with his remaining sanity.

Candy made from fruit produced by the Horn of Plenty continuously turned into juice in his mouth, continuously providing Ma Ma Zhaodi with life restoration. Fortunately, the Joker's dagger today did not carry laughing gas toxin; otherwise, he might not have had time to take a hand to drink milk.

"Hahaha! The neck is exposed!"

When Ma Ma Zhaodi was struck in the knee by a crowbar, nearly losing his balance, the Joker chuckled, and a dagger swept up. With the sound of a rip, fresh blood immediately sprayed out from his carotid artery.

"Hehehehe—Hm?"

After the Joker slit Ma Ma Zhaodi's throat, watching the flesh and blood at the wound rapidly heal again after a few seconds, he realized that all the wounds on his body seemed to have stopped bleeding at this moment.

"Huff, huff, huff"

Ma Ma Zhaodi panted, barely standing before the Joker. He had been beaten by wave after wave of pain that could be described as slow slicing until he was almost unconscious. The fruit candy was restoring his physical injuries, but the immense psychological pressure and pain were truly entering his mind.

"Haha! So strong, truly strong. Santa Claus—or should I say the Grinch? You usually haven't participated in combat, right?"

Should I use that?

"So moving. The hero protecting Christmas faces a madman holding knives and guns alone."

No, Batman must be arriving soon, and that costs a full twenty thousand asset points, and it's one-time use; I can't just waste it because I'm afraid of pain.

But it really hurts so much.

Ma Ma Zhaodi gritted his teeth with a ferocious expression, looking at the giggling Joker, yet tears unconsciously flowed from his eyes. This was the first time he had shown such an expression since arriving in Gotham.

The feeling of fighting for justice really hurts. Even if it is only physical pain, it is enough to make this novice, who has never engaged in hand-to-hand combat, feel like retreating.

But doesn't Batman experience such pain every night? Catwoman, Gordon, Harvey Dent. Haven't these people all become accustomed to the dual pain of mind and body?

Or, should I give up?

Should I save my asset points and my life, and throw Harvey Dent into his destined fate?

Or reload the save? Think of another plan? But can I be this lucky again? On which reload will the Cross's judgment take effect?

"Hehehe, truly backbone—I know many hard bones who are not afraid of pain, and you are one of them."

I'm afraid, I'm really afraid.

"But you certainly can't imagine, I am actually an old dog—I am used to chasing hard bones to bite, hehehe—"

"I know best how to gnaw through hard bones! Hahaha!"

The Joker, giggling, turned into a purple wind, easily dodging past Ma Ma Zhaodi, and swung the weapon in his hand again, but this time, his target was not Ma Ma Zhaodi.

It was Clinton, who was still holding the gun, unwilling to abandon Ma Ma Zhaodi.

Clinton's pupils contracted; he drew his gun and fired urgently. However, the Joker's figure was unpredictable. Bullet after bullet struck the wall, the floor, but he could never hit the Joker. He watched as that madman darted in front of him, raising the dagger and crowbar in his hands.

"Haha! You have no chance!"

One strike of the club, two strikes of the daggers.

Three lightning-fast strikes directly rendered Clinton's two hands and one leg unable to move. He didn't even have time to cry out in pain before the sharp, bloodied dagger stabbed toward his eye socket.

"Merry Christmas! Hehehehehe—"

Clang!

With the crisp sound of metal striking metal, the Joker looked up in shock, watching a gleaming precious sword steadily block his dagger.

The person holding the precious sword wore a fat red Christmas padded jacket, with a ridiculous Christmas hat on his head. Drops of fresh blood constantly dripped from the hem of the jacket. At this moment, the cotton wadding exposed inside the jacket was already dyed blood-red; perhaps, this jacket had been soaked through long ago.

His neck did not seem to have fully recovered yet; his voice was broken and hoarse, and tear stains from his earlier crying remained on his face. Only the sword in his hand was as steady as Mount Tai.

"I will not let my friend die for me—bad child, where do you think you're running?"

Grandmaster Swordsmanship Experience Card (Ten Minutes)

Price: Twenty Thousand Dollar Asset Points

Annotation: Youthful chivalry, befriending heroes of the five capitals. Heart and liver pierced, hair standing on end. In the time of a brief conversation, life and death are shared. A promise weighs a thousand gold.

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(End of Chapter)